Tag archives: food

This summer I did what most practical women who love to shop for fashion and dine out do when their pocketbooks grow slimmer than a Raymond Carver story: I got a second job! Feeling a bit adventurous, I applied online for a position cooking for a local company named Pure Joy Catering. To my surprise, […]

Everything seems to move quickly these days, but the speed of growth and expansion of the Santa Barbara County Food Action Network (SBCFAN) is fast enough to turn heads.  It was just six years ago that the Community Environmental Council and the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County created the Santa Barbara County Food Action Plan […]

Picture yourself on a cool summer evening sitting on a Mexican blanket listening to the sound of waves rushing across the sand. There’s a divine spread laid out, guests are lounging on oversized pillows and nibbling on homespun delicacies such as shredded chicken and bean taquitos and grapefruit, avocado, and walnut salad. There are a […]

Fiesta isn’t only about music, food, dance, and arts and entertainment reflecting Santa Barbara’s Spanish cultural past and present, there’s also a pretty healthy dose of rock and roll, pop, and more in outdoor locations around town. Most notable are the twin Mercados at De La Guerra Plaza and Mackenzie Park, both returning for the […]

One of the biggest wine and food events of the year happened after a two-year hiatus, at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (SBMNH). Over 1,000 folks gathered on the 17-acre campus to stroll along the shaded banks of Mission Creek sampling the Central Coast’s best food, wine, and spirits from 80-plus purveyors. This […]

Warm summer breezes and longer days beckon diners outdoors to explore the city’s diverse culinary landscape. Although there has been a recent uptick in virus cases, restaurant owners and chefs tempt diners with their summer creations. Several local eateries continue to exercise the same safety protocols at the height of the pandemic. “Our doors to […]

Pitmaster Kristi Bean recently debuted her barbecue eatery, Beans BBQ, nestled on State Street, just steps away from Granada Theatre.  Bean said the eatery is the love child of Beans BBQ catering business, which she started in 2014, the same year she migrated to Santa Barbara. At the core of the success story that is […]

The Fourth of July this week has many of us thinking about one thing: the grill. Okay, two things: the grill and wine. For those who are lovers of all things fired and grilled, another major event is on the calendar this month. It’s a barbecue-inspired affair for wine lovers that is years in the […]

We are all too familiar with the surfeit of restaurant and business closures that COVID left in its wake. Restrictions kept patrons away, and even the most bustling take-home enterprises had difficulty covering operation costs and rent. For many business owners, closure was the only option. For others, this time of uncertainty made bucket list […]

Saturday Dear Diary, This pandemic was so inconvenient, and awful, just awful. I’ve never felt so lonely and depressed in my entire life. Thank you for helping me get through the pandemic! I’ve kept sane with tantalizing home cooked meals and entertaining TV series like Pam and Tommy. Last night I finished the last episode […]

Carlos, The Bear, was grieving the loss of his sister, Carla Bear, as he lumbered up the animal trail that runs from East Valley Road to Summerland, when he ran into Connie, The Cougar.  “Hey there Bear, I haven’t seen you for quite a while, Carlos. You look sad. What’s up?” said Connie. Carlos gave […]

If you’re planning to venture out in town this summer, start a list of some of the new eateries you’d like to visit during your al fresco culinary adventures. From Mexican-inspired bites and beverages to Nashville-style fried chicken, Santa Barbara has some exciting new eateries on its culinary scene. Santa Barbara Public Market has added […]

Santa Barbara’s big culinary takeover next week is actually two years in the making. Taste of Santa Barbara, presented by the Santa Barbara Culinary Experience in partnership with the Julia Child Foundation, was originally scheduled for May of 2020, and then the world shut down. Rescheduled to this month – May 16 to 22 – […]

Pierre Lafond passed away this past Sunday at the age of 92, after 60 years in Santa Barbara enterprise overlapping a 25-year career in architecture. Pierre Lafond and his wife, Wendy Foster, developed a number of shops in Montecito and in greater Santa Barbara. And they were vintners and early adopters of Central Coast viticulture, […]

“We don’t talk about Bruno tonight,” joked El Encanto General Manager Janis Clapoff on a recent warm and breezy evening. She was partially making reference to the Oscar award-winning animated film Encanto, but also referring to the hotel’s Executive Chef Bruno Lopez, who was taking the night off as head chef and serving as sous-chef […]

Montecito’s newest restaurant, Local, opens next week, located on the lower level of Coast Village Plaza (1187 Coast Village Road). The new, vibrant eatery is the brainchild of owner Michael Sheldon, who retired from his role as CEO of Goleta-based Curvature in 2017. “I’ve always loved food, cooking, wine, and the experience of eating in […]

Rick H. is getting a second chance to make it right. The Santa Barbara Rescue Mission (SBRM) resident, whose full name is being withheld to protect his privacy, stands over a cutting board slicing pan-seared chicken breast. He neatly places slices on a pool of tomato feta sauce before garnishing them with chopped sautéed peppers. […]

Last week Montecito Country Mart announced that its newest eatery, Alma Fonda Fina, is scheduled to open in June. The restaurant is the latest offering from Ramon Velazquez, a local Santa Barbara chef and Michelin Bib Gourmand winner, and the owner of the popular Corazon Cocina in the Public Market in downtown Santa Barbara. Alma […]

Philip Stein doesn’t fit the standard mold of a polo club chef. For starters, his warm and friendly personality is devoid of the stuffy airs that one might assume is mandatory among those in close orbit to the regal sport. Now the Fieldside Grill’s executive chef, he was completely unfamiliar with the game – and […]

Word on Coast Village Road is that the owner of Montecito Deli, Jeff Rypysc, is in talks with a well-known Montecito restaurateur to sell the business, located at 1150 Coast Village Road. If all goes as planned, the deal will close April 1.  The new concept for the deli, which has been in the same […]